2016 ANNUAL REPORT. St. Joseph s School, Tara A Catholic co-educational school of the Diocese of Toowoomba. Faith, Friendship and Honour

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1 2016 ANNUAL REPORT St. Joseph s School, Tara A Catholic co-educational school of the Diocese of Toowoomba Faith, Friendship and Honour Address 3 Fry St PO Box 42 Phone Tara QLD 4421 Year Levels Prep Year 6 Fax Enrolment 31 tara@twb.catholic.edu.au Principal Mrs Mary Porter Boarders No Vacation Care No After School Care No Our Mission Our Mission is to create a safe and caring learning environment based on Catholic and community values. Our students will grow and develop through positive learning experiences and will focus on the basic elements of Literacy and Numeracy. We have high standards in relation to behaviour and we expect our students will conduct themselves with Faith, Friendship, and Honour. St. Joseph s is a small rural school in Tara, with an ICSEA value is 861. Average class size is 15 students. The Sisters of St. Joseph established the school in The story of Jesus is central to the school community. Distinctive Curriculum Offerings The School uses ACARA and QCAA documents to implement the curriculum. The Brisbane Religion Curriculum is implemented through support from Toowoomba Catholic Schools Office. In the Religious Education curriculum students learn about Catholic history and traditions, prayer and spirituality and ways to live a meaningful life. Learning Area Programs are in place and operate on a two-year rotation to match the school s multi-age learning context. Small class sizes, quality teachers, and teacher aides support and enable focussed and differentiated learning to occur.

2 St. Joseph s honours the traditions of Blessed Mary MacKillop. There is a MacKillop Club that provides opportunities for students to work for social justice. Students do their bit to make the world a better place for all and contribute to community by putting into practice Mary MacKillop s motto of Never see a need without doing something about it. In conjunction with the Learning Support department, the school offers assistance to individual students and small groups in literacy programs such as MiniLit, MultiLit and First Steps. A visiting teacher librarian assists school staff in developing and implementing a library program which further supports the literacy development of students. The school has an Indonesian program with a specialist teacher. Student progress is reported to parents formally twice each year through report cards and informally throughout the year through meetings, open days and classroom displays. Parent teacher interviews occur twice each year. Parents are encouraged to discuss their child s progress as needed throughout the year. Although small, we are an extremely well-resourced school. The school has accessed funding and received financial support from the Parents and Friends (P&F) to purchase literacy and numeracy and sun protection equipment. Students have access to relevant and current learning area resources that align with the curriculum and student abilities, needs and interests. Technology Technology enhances learning in all curriculum areas. A wide range of ICT resources help to integrate technology into the curriculum. Students are able to access the network and Internet and ICT is integrated across the curriculum. Each class has a bank of computers, laptops and ipads. Each learning environment has a smart board for interactive learning. The ipads have a range of educational applications to support student learning. Students have their own log on passwords and H Drives. Students program and problems solve using Beebots and Ev3 robotics. An acceptable use of the Learning Technology policy is in place. Parents and students agree and sign a commitment to use technology in an acceptable manner. Students participate in programs such as Mathletics, IMaths and Sound Waves. The licences purchased by the school also allow the students to consolidate their learning by using at home technology to work through these programs. All teachers have access to the individual computers and personal ipads. Planning, teaching, assessment and reporting is recorded in the Diocesan Learning Profile, an electronic planning tool.

3 Students with Special Needs St. Joseph s has a Special Needs Committee that operates according to TCSO guidelines. The committee meets regularly. The school follows TCSO procedures in developing individual education plans and beneficial modifications to learning tasks. A Learning Support teacher provides learning support for 7.5 hours per week. The learning support teacher supports teachers in meeting the needs of the students with special needs. The school provides opportunities for parents to be involved in their child s learning journey. Extra-Curricular Activities St Joseph's offers its students the opportunity to broaden their horizons in the arts and academic areas. St Joseph s is a part of the Small Schools District sporting competition and we participate in Swimming, Cross-Country and Athletics Carnivals. Students can also trial for district sporting teams. Students are also able to participate in English, Spelling, Mathematics and Science competitions. St. Joseph s School is active in the community taking part in ANZAC Day and Remembrance Day ceremonies, visiting the local retirement home and Kindergarten, raising awareness of and resources and funds for local and global causes and participating in the local Show, Fetes, Book Week Parade and sporting events. As part of our faith journey, students are encouraged to be of service to and for others, by becoming aware of social issues, raising money for Missions and visiting the residents at the local retirement village, Tarcoola. Students enjoy a wide number of sporting, cultural, academic and spiritual opportunities to enrich their learning. These include Reconciliation Week and NAIDOC Week activities, music, inter school sports carnivals, coaching clinics, tennis, school concerts, excursions, academic competitions, Book Week Activities, Cultural Days, Catholic Education Week celebrations and leadership and spirituality retreats. Social Climate St. Joseph's School offers a range of programs to: Create a culture of learning Foster and develop Faith, Friendship and Honour Develop personal and interpersonal skills Develop Leadership skills Create opportunities for students to enjoy their learning Create an environment of inclusion Promote and integrate the technologies across all learning areas Encourage development and opportunities in STEM, Music, Art and Drama Provide a range of sporting and athletic programs and opportunities

4 Maintain quality facilities and resources that meet educational and social needs St. Joseph s provides a supportive environment where students are encouraged to problem solve and treat others with respect. Behaviour Management and Anti-bullying policies and procedures are in place. The St. Joseph s community strongly supports an anti-bullying philosophy practised in both the school and local community. The school uses a range of educative and proactive measures to deal with bullying. We communicate our expectations with parents through the newsletter, at information nights and through formal and informal discussions. We set high standards of behaviour and ask our parents to form effective partnerships with us to ensure balance between school and home. Any incidents of bullying are referred to a teacher. If there are any incidents involving violence or repeated incidents, a report is made to the Principal who then follows procedures supporting behaviour management or student protection guidelines. The school community s collaboratively developed Student Code of Conduct supports a safe learning environment. Students are guided by the school expectations to act with Faith, Friendship, and Honour. Parental Involvement Partnerships with parents are essential to a student s learning and wellbeing. Parent are invited and welcome to celebrate their child s achievements and share learning days with their children. In operating a school in a small community, we welcome the support of the Parents and Friends Association (P&F) in achieving the school s endeavours. The P & F is an integral part of our school community, supporting the school by contributing to resources to promote student learning and wellbeing. Parents assist with a range of activities including fundraising, tuckshop, library, reading groups, maintenance work, and providing a voice within the P & F organisation. We encourage all parents to be active members of the school community. School Financial Information The information on net recurrent income including: Federal Government recurrent funding Queensland Government recurrent funding Fee, charges and parent contributions Other private resources Is available from:

5 Staff Composition Workforce Composition Total Teaching Staff Total Non-teaching Staff Indigenous Staff Headcounts Full-time equivalents Teacher Qualifications Qualification Doctoral / Post Doctorate % of Teaching Staff Masters 50.0% Bachelor Degree 33.3% Diploma 16.7% Certificate 0% Professional Development During 2016 staff have been involved in the following professional development: 1. In-service for 2016 focused on the Australian Curriculum, student improvement in all learning areas with a school focus on writing (and spelling) and continuing to work with the Diocesan Learning Profile (DLP). Literacy consultant Angela Ehmer provided coaching for all teachers. 2. In 2016 the staff completed professional development in the following areas: Student Protection, Code of Conduct, Zones of Regulation, HSE, The Lenten Program, Catholic Identity and Ethos, Prayer, Spelling, Consistency of Teacher Judgement, English Curriculum, Seven Steps Writing, Reading, Literacy Solutions, Differentiation, elearning and technologies across the curriculum, Spirituality, Catholic Earth Care, First Aid, Speech and Language, ICT, Professional Learning Communities, Risk Management, Social Media and an Education Officer Curriculum Project. 3. The stated school Professional Development budget allocated in 2016 was $ The amount expended in 2016 in GL Professional learning was $

6 Average Staff Attendance 98.53% Staff Retention 100%. Average Student Attendance Rate 88.87% Student Attendance for Each Year Level (expressed as %) Prep Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year Description of How Non-Attendance is Managed by the School The school articulates the importance of school attendance to maximise learning. Newsletter and signage emphasise that Every day at school counts. The school manages the administration of attendances and absences through the electronic roll marking system. Classroom teachers are responsible for the marking of the rolls each morning and afternoon. Parents are required to notify the school administration on the very first day of any absence. Student absences are marked as Unexplained until notification occurs. A phone call or to the parents asking for an explanation of the absence follows if the school has not been notified by 9.30 a.m. on the first day. During the term, unexplained absence record forms are provided for parents to return with an explanation for outstanding absences. Follow up occurs until the record is up to date. A meeting with the principal is required if absences are ongoing.

7 National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) Results Year 3 Test Results OUR SCHOOL NATIONAL STATE Percentage of Students at or above the National Benchmark Reading ^ ^ Writing ^ ^ Spelling ^ ^ Grammar and Punctuation ^ ^ Numeracy ^ ^ To maintain privacy of individual student information where there are fewer than five students tested results are not provided. Year 5 Test Results OUR SCHOOL NATIONAL STATE Percentage of Students at or above the National Benchmark Reading Writing Spelling Grammar and Punctuation Numeracy Value Added Attractive grounds and gardens, including student vegetable gardens Online Speech and Language and Occupational Therapy as one of three sessions per week for students needing support with speech, fine and or gross motor. Indigenous community members share their history and culture to create a sense of pride and belonging for Indigenous students and to enhance the cross curricular perspective for all learners. Outreach to the community pastoral visits to local community groups around town and (where possible) outside of the local community. Small class sizes where students are given significant time and support by school staff. Social and Emotional support through a social skilling program and buddy system between younger and older students.

8 Inclusive enrolment policy that supports students with special educational needs, diverse cultures, and/or religious groups. A strong relationship with St. Joseph s College Toowoomba provides resources and opportunities for student learning. Ongoing professional and personal development for staff and parents. Teacher visits to best practice schools to develop teacher pedagogy and practice. School Renewal and Improvement Process School Renewal and Improvement is an on-going process of self-evaluation measured against a commonly agreed set of criteria known as the Excellence in Catholic Education (EiCE) framework. It informs action planning at the school level to identify areas of strength and areas for improvement. Above all, Catholic schools must be good schools with a strong learning orientation and a strong sense of purpose. This process provides an opportunity for each school to reflect on four Domains, namely, Religious Life of the School, Learning and Teaching, School Improvement and Strategic Resourcing. Each of these domains has components (24 in total) that are reviewed on a cyclical basis and plans for improvement developed if necessary. In 2016, the elements of Partnership with Parish; Students with Additional Needs; Students and their Learning; Professional Relationships and Teamwork; Community Partnership & Ownership and ICT Resources was reflected on, reviewed and improvement in these areas was planned for strategically in the Annual Action Plan. All staff have made a commitment to improve learning for our students. In 2017 we will focus on improving our teaching practice and pedagogy so that all students learn to read well. Parent Satisfaction 2016 Radii Report Parent Overall Satisfaction

9 School Radii Commendations Parent comments showing satisfaction with the school in 2016 are as follows: The teachers are devoted to the students learning and encourage them in their academic progress. My son enjoys attending class every day and he sees the importance of learning and prayer as well as the friendship with his schoolmates. All the school personnel from the principal to the teachers even the cleaners and volunteers are so professional and supportive and caring not only to the students and their families but also to the community. In addition, written parent feedback throughout the year includes the following comments: It s good to see how they learn so much during the day. The children are happy to learn and have fun learning. I like the reading strategies used with my child. I can use these at home when teaching my child to read as well. I feel more confident to help her now. My child is getting better each day. I realise just how much you have all worked to get my child to where he is now. Great job to you and your school. My child was sick but she still wanted to come to school. A hardcopy of this report is available by request from the Principal